Thursday, July 23, 2015

As the new school year
approaches, teachers often wonder what materials they can use to supplement the
textbooks provided by their schools. Can you photocopy a short story for your
English class? Can you show a movie to your third graders? Are there special
rules for materials found on the Internet?

It isn’t possible to give
a thorough answer in a blog post, but here are some quick tips. These are
general guidelines only.

Printed
Material

In
general, short works and short excerpts of larger works may be copied
one-per-student if (1) made from legally acquired originals and (2) there
isn’t enough time between the decision to use it and the moment of its
use to obtain permission. (This latter condition requires good faith, and
the work or excerpt can’t be used again without permission.)

Short
works and short excerpts of larger works may be incorporated by a teacher
into a multimedia presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) for classroom teaching if
(1) made from legally acquired originals and (2) there isn’t enough time
between the decision to use it and the moment of its use to obtain
permission.

This
copying must not be a frequent occurrence (no more than nine times per
class per year).

Short
excerpts may be incorporated into student multimedia projects if made
from legally acquired originals.

Current
newspaper and news magazine articles may be reproduced.

Creating
anthologies from copyrighted material is not allowed.

Teachers
may not reproduce workbooks or other “consumables.”

Students
may not be charged any more than the actual copying cost.

Special
rules apply to course packs sold to students.

Digital
Text (e.g., E-Books)

Digital
materials are subject to the same rules as print materials.

Movies
and Television Programs

In
general, movies and television shows that have been published for general
consumption (e.g., commercially sold DVDs) may be shown in the classroom
if legally acquired and shown for instructional purposes.

Programs
recorded from broadcast television (the “free” stations) may be shown
within a short time after the program airs (generally ten school days.)

Teachers
may not use pirated copies or copies made from pirated copies.

Admission
fees are not allowed, even if charged indirectly.

In
general, teachers may not use cable television programs recorded from the
television.

Images
(Art and Photographs)

Single
works may be used if limited to just a few (usually no more than five)
images by the same artist or photographer.

Excerpts
from collections may be used if they are a small part of the collection.

Music

Copies
that have been legitimately obtained may be played for the class.

Short
excerpts may be included in student multimedia presentations or in those
prepared by a teacher for classroom use.

Internet

Materials
on the Internet are subject to the same copyright rules as other
materials of the same type. Assume the materials are copyrighted unless
you have reason to know they are in the public domain (e.g., federal
publications or material published before 1923).

Links
may be freely shared as long as they do not provide direct access to
materials that are password protected.

Computer
Software

Licensing
provisions must be honored.

There are no restrictions
on material that is in the public domain (e.g., federal publications and material
that was first published before 1923). However, annotations and other added
material may have to be removed unless they are also in the public domain.

Have a great school year.

__________

Kathryn Page Camp is a
licensed attorney and full-time writer. Her most recent book, Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words
Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013), is a Kirkus’
Indie Books of the Month Selection. Kathryn is also the author of In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court’s
First Amendment Decisions Affect Organized Religion (FaithWalk Publishing
2006) and numerous articles. You can learn more about Kathryn at
www.kathrynpagecamp.com.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

I saw an invitation on the ACFW Speculative Group Facebook
page to review a new science fiction book due out in August called Trial Run by Thomas Locke, aka T. Davis
Bunn. I bought Emissary, a fantasy by
Locke, for my daughter. She liked it so I thought I would check out his sci-fi,
too. I’m really glad I did.

The last sci-fi book I read was Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card, and I found myself initially comparing
the two books. Card introduced his nine main characters in the first nine
chapters; one chapter per character. Locke does something very similar except Locke’s
chapters are significantly shorter; generally only a few pages long, sometimes
just two.

While it took me longer to connect with a character in Locke’s
book than it did in Card’s, once I did connect it was hard to put Trial Run down. It’s all there – action,
mystery, a hint of romance, and an intriguing “technology” for the lack of a
better word. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Locke knows how to write. It’s
pretty easy to see why he’s won so many awards. He knows his craft.

For me it was refreshing to read a science fiction story
that is completely clean with no obvious agenda. And speaking of agendas, this
book is not overtly Christian. If you’re looking for a salvation message, you
won’t find it in Trial Run. However,
I did see a sliver of opportunity for future books in the series. It will be
interesting to see where Locke goes with it.

As a writer, it’s interesting to see what Bunn is doing to
build up his pen name and new audiences for genres in which he’s not known. As
a reader, I enjoyed reading a good book that I can, without reservation, recommend
to everyone I know.

If you want to check out a sample of Trial Run and even download a free ebook from Thomas Locke’s website,
you can do that here: http://tlocke.com/fault-lines/

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

This
is the seventh month of me writing about the authors who have influenced me as
a writer. If you missed any previous posts, please return to them and read up
on how these certain authors influenced me. There were C. S. Lewis, J. R. R.
Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Alexandre Dumas, and Frances
Hodgson Burnett.

Today
I will be talking about a contemporary author who I personally met in February
2014. He was the keynote speaker of the Advanced Writer’s Boot Camp Conference
in Asheville, North Carolina. I attended with my husband and loved listening to
Steven James talk about his rejection letters. He read snippets of them, having
the audience rolling in laughter. It made us feel better about the rejection
letters we receive.

I
was first introduced to Steven James when I was roaming the bookshelves at my
local library. If I don’t have a certain author whose book I want to read
usually I scan the spine for books by the Christian publisher. I found the
Revell Publishing symbol on a book spine, which read The Rook James. I had never
heard of Steven James, but the book was published by a Christian company and
the book was thick, so I withdrew it from the shelf and took it home.

I
was hooked.

Luckily,
for me, The Rook was the second book
in the Patrick Bower’s series. The Pawn and The Knight were already published and The Bishop was just about to come out. I
loved how Patrick Bower used a unique system to hunt for the serial killers.
The killer surprised me in practically every book. When I met James in
February, 2014, he was impressed by my copy of The Knight because I had scribbled all over the margins and
highlighted key phrases with post-it notes sticking out of the top. I was
studying how James crafted a story where the killer was a total shock.

From February 2014 when I got to meet Steven James

Steven
James taught me to push the limits when it comes to writing Christian suspense.
Not all Christian suspense books have to be completely planned out and PG for
the “saved” audience. We are like the secular audience in that we like a story
that grips us and tightens more and more as the story progresses. Likewise, he
encouraged me to not choose the first bad thing that happened to our
characters. Make a list and allow them to squirm. As a writer, you don’t want
the reader to guess the ending before they arrive there.

Have
you experienced any of Steven James’ Patrick Bower’s series? If so, what is
your favorite book of the series? Have you ever studied a book so much that you
have marked up your copy of their book in order to improve your own personal
writing?

Saturday, July 11, 2015

For new authors, the editorial process can be a mystery.
Then when they are in the thick of it, the number of editing and proofreading rounds
can be both surprising and daunting. (For one thing, how are they supposed to concentrate
on writing their next book if the one being edited keeps popping back for attention?)
But at least when a book gets to the last editing stage—known as line or copy
editing—they can see the light at the end of the editorial tunnel. Trust me, proofreading
is not as intense!

**

Authors experiencing a line edit for the first time might
wonder how the editor will approach the work. Or more to the point, how he or
she will approach their book. I can
speak only for myself, so here is a peek into my process.

1.I listen
to understand. If I don’t know the author, and especially if a publishing
house has not asked me to work with the author directly, I try to find a video of
him or her speaking. I can often find one on the author’s website or on YouTube.
Literal voice is not the same as literary voice, but I still have a better
sense of who that author is and how personality might be infusing the work.

2.I read to
understand. I try to read more than edit the first time through a
manuscript. Yes, I correct some grammar, spelling, and punctuation nuts and
bolts as I go along (most line editors can’t help themselves!), and to ensure I
won’t overlook them later I highlight places where I will need to give extra
attention. The most important aspect of the first read-through, however, is
that I get to know how every element is intended to work together to make a
whole.

3.I champion
the reader. As I read for the second time, the detailed and final work of
editing begins. Word by word and line by line, I put myself in the reader’s
place. Editors before me have cared for any structure or pacing issues—especially
in novels—for example, but my job is to try to ensure that no reader is unnecessarily
stopped cold—or even slowed down—by error or squishy-ness. Plausibility issues,
word choices not quite on target, repetition, and so on are all on the table on
behalf of readers.

4.I champion
the author. I know every page—sometimes every word—an author crafts is hard-won. Writing is a joy, but it is also hard work. Though I am forthright about
what I think, in my expertise and opinion, needs to be addressed, my goal is to
help the author make the book the best it can be, supporting his or her career.
I am always aware the book is not mine, but I am also aware it is my responsibility
as an editor to treat it as carefully and thoroughly as if it were.

Editing is a wonderful profession; we editors care about editorial
excellence. But I hope authors understand above all else that most editors—even
the ones examining every word and line—care about them, their work, and their
readers just as much as they care about the nitty-gritty of language and
writing technique.

After twenty-four
years with publishing house Zondervan in Grand Rapids, Michigan, most recently
as an executive managing editor, Jean Bloom returned to Central Indiana
to be near family and take her freelance editorial business full-time (Bloom in Words Editorial Services).
Her personal blog is Bloom in Words too, where she often posts articles about the writing
life. She and her husband, Cal, have three children and five grandchildren.

Monday, July 6, 2015

We had a fantastic time at the luncheon in Fort Wayne on June 20! If you weren't there, maybe this little re-cap will give you a good peek into what we experienced.

Our first speaker of the day was Linda Glaz, literary agent with Hartline Literary Agency (and my agent and Rick Barry's agent as well). Linda spoke on "Everything You Wanted to Know About Writing but Were Afraid to Ask." Some of the highlights of her talk included anecdotes of her experiences both as a writer and an agent. Especially insightful was the information she shared regarding POV (point of view), especially writing from a male point of view.

"People want character-driven books with constant motivation. Every single thing that happens to a character must have a motivation." She also stressed the difference between "preachiness" in books or having an agenda. Our books should influence in subtle ways just as Jesus's parables did.

Linda also reminded us that readers today want "instant gratification and they want it by page one. Page one has to catch the reader." Also, the characters need powerful opposition and they must have two paths to choose from. Readers need to wonder which one they will choose.

Gail Gaymer Martin delighted us with her presentation on "The Sagging Middle." Here are some of the tips she shared about elements of a great story:

The more I learn about writing fiction, the more I realize how clever and brilliant good writers must be. It's harder than ever to captivate an audience, and we'll only learn to do so by continuing to study the craft. Another thing I'm impressed with among Christian writers, is how generously information is shared. This is because our writing, as Christians, carries with it the precious responsibility of bringing hope to as many as possible before the soon and coming return of King Jesus. Being a member of ACFW helps us to keep our calling sure and our craft fresh.

I'm truly grateful to have been a part of the meeting June 20. I learned a lot and was reminded of things I'd forgotten. The only thing that would have made it better was to have all of YOU there with us!

Until next time -- write on! Jesus is coming soon!

Karla Akins is the author of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots and countless short stories, biographies and other books for middle grades. She currently serves as Vice-President of ACFW-Indiana Chapter and resides in North Manchester with her pastor-husband, twin adult sons with autism and her mother-in-law with Alzheimer's. Her three dogs and two cats serve as attentive editors.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

As of July 1, Amazon.com changed its compensation schedule for authors who participate in the Kindle Select and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library programs. These programs pay authors out of a monthly pool of royalty money; heretofore, each author got a proportionate slice of the “kitty” based on the number of times a book was used. But now the slice is based on the number of pages that are read.

So authors of big books (epic novels and technical manuals) will be paid more than authors of short books (poetry and children’s stories) if their books are used by the same number of readers.

In a blog post on June 24, the Authors Guild observed, “At first glance, it appears that tying royalties to pages read will only incentivize authors to produce books that compel readers to keep reading. It’s not so clear whether that will result in better books.” Indeed not!

Who knows? Amazon's scheme may inspire a new generation of Tolstoys and Dostoevskys to spin yarns that run over 1,000 pages. Want to try your hand at it?

__________________

Joe Allison and his wife, Judy, live in Anderson IN, where Joe serves as Editorial Director of Discipleship Resources & Curriculum for Warner Press, Inc. Joe has several nonfiction books in print, including Swords and Whetstones: A Guide to Christian Bible Study Resources. He's currently writing a trilogy of Christian historical novels set in the Great Depression.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Rubbing shoulders with other book lovers is a heady
experience. In June I attended my first Printers Row Lit Fest. I’d heard about
this annual event before, but never attended because I was intimidated by its
location in the South Loop of Chicago. This year, I’m striving to be bolder so I
left the green cornfields of Indiana with my travel-wise daughter and headed
west. With an easy hour and a half drive, Mapquest put us at
a parking garage one block from the festival.

The street was cordoned off for
tented vendors. We passed booths of books sold by genre such as cooking or
mystery and publishers booths representing multiple genres. Other booths sold
photos or posters, T-shirts or book bags. Excitement filled the air as the crowds grew. There was not enough time before the
scheduled activities to see everything, but one book caught my eye.

I was thrilled to meet Lisa after being crit partners
years ago on this very book series and being part of the Barn Door blog which she hosts. After a brief
chat with Lisa, we rushed to the first cooking demo.

Summer Miller, author of “New Prairie Kitchen” showed us how
to make fresh-off-the-cob corn chowder. The hour passed quickly and my daughter
stayed in the Good Eating Stage for other demos with such noted author cooks as
Rick Bayless, “Mexico One Plate at a Time”, who also appears regularly on PBS
TV.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed a panel discussion by Chicago’s top dramatic
podcasters Keith Ecker, Erin Kahoa, Ryan Duke, and Clayton Faits. I learned
audio podcasting can be done well with simple or sophisticated equipment, depending
on your purpose, but mostly it is a team effort of combined skills.

Only one program disappointed me. When the emcee gave a profanity-and-topic disclaimer, (in response to the look on my front row face?) and proceeded to break my 3 F-word rule in the next sentence, I left. So many other exciting sessions remained, such as the photo below shows.

Three actors from the Bruised Orange Theater Company
performed dramatic readings of real, uncensored personal ads from the Chicago area such as, "I saw you on the corner of Dearborn at 2 am in the morning and was drawn to your wavy red hair glowing in the street light. I really only wanted to help you fix your bicycle. There was no need to run away. I'd forgotten I was in that Zombie costume. Anyway, would you like to meet?" As billeted, they were so real you’d think they were fiction. We laughed
heartily.

Chicagoans read their Mystery Writers Flash Fiction contest
submissions and I participated as a 'Q' in a Q & A session with authors Sara
Paretsky and Clare O'Donohue.

The day passed far too swiftly. With staggered performances
and activities I had to choose programs. I didn’t attend any poetry or writing
workshops. I missed the children’s book readings and fun activities and YA
programs, as well as all of the various evening sessions. Yet, what a satisfying, pleasurable experience.

The memory of the day still warms me, including our lunch
experience at Amarit, a Thai restaurant at 600 S. Dearborn. They served the
freshest, most amazingly delicious sushi we’d ever tasted. It was so good we
stopped again for a second order before we headed home and my daughter returned this past weekend. If you don’t care for Thai food, there’s plenty of
other choices within a block or two of the Fest. After all, it is Chicago.

Printers Row Lit Fest runs two days with pay-for activities
and workshops as well as numerous free events, such as what we attended. We
had such a good time that I’m sure we will visit future Lit Fests. Perhaps INACFWers
should plan a trip next year. Anyone up
for it?

Mary
Allenhas authored numerous
articles and three books of poetry. She speaks at the La Porte Christian
Women's Club in July and performs poetry at the La Porte Arts in the Park
programs June 26 and July 23.

After
the past year’s planned hiatus, she looks forward to again contributing to
Hoosier Ink. Follow the link on her name to like her page.